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Life > Experiences

How I Learned To Embrace Girlhood

Updated Published
Lilliana Correa
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPR chapter.

Let’s be clear for a second: the actual definition of “girlhood” is “the period when a person is a girl, and not yet a woman, or the state of being a girl”(Cambridge Dictionary). Yet, in the past year, we women have realized that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean leaving behind everything we loved when we were younger. 

It all started in the Summer of 2023. Do you remember when Taylor Swift was on tour, when The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 released on Amazon Prime, and when Barbie premiered in theaters? Good times, I know. It was a wonderful time to be a girl!

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It took me a moment to fully embrace doing things because they make me happy and be unashamed of it. I was so used to feeling judged and childish because I enjoyed romantic movies, books, and dressing up. I would see these girls dressing up for the Eras Tour and the Barbie movie and feel this beautiful sense of calm and freedom because we women have created a safe space for each other to have fun and get back to our roots.

During that summer I met some amazing people. I call them my work besties, but really, I want them to be a part of my life even if we stop working at the same place. They  validated my wishes and hobbies, simply because they made me happy. Because of them I remembered that life can be fun, that it’s not all about work and simply surviving. I’ve always had this fear of being judged over the activities I want to do and the music I want to listen to, but these women have made me feel so beautifully accepted that sometimes it’s hard to believe they exist!

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The sense of community I’ve received in the last year, from clubs to college groups, and my work besties is all I could’ve asked for and more. For so long, people have made girls feel embarrassed for being just that, GIRLS. How absurd can that be? We mean no harm, we just want a break from the constant survival and perfectionism routine. A smile on our faces seems like a threat to others, but I’ve learned to not care. I am a girl and I can act however I want. 

Appreciating getting ready, singing in the car or at karaoke no matter how awful it sounds, making arts and crafts, watching romantic comedies, looking forward to a happily ever after in this generation, and even crying from a broken heart. These are all parts of being a girl and I’ve learned to enjoy them to the fullest, because I don’t know if I’m ever going to experience a more beautiful feeling.

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So if you’re reading this, feel free to just be you and embrace the things you love loudly. Dare to take up the space you deserve. No one is allowed to make you feel less and undeserving of being happy.

Lots of love,

Lya <3

Lilliana Correa Garcia is a wellness and experience writer at the Her Campus Rio Piedras Chapter. She focuses on topics such as mental health, self love and having the best college experience even if it may be an unusual one. She also adds a bit of her hobbies such as books and creative endeavors to her storytelling. Beyond Her Campus, Lilliana works as a Jr. Executive at Rosado Toledo& where she helps maintain a clear communication between brands and the agency and makes sure the clients’ needs are being met on a daily basis. She has worked as a freelance social media manager for small businesses such as restaurants and hair salons. She interned in the advertising agency previously mentioned which opened the doors for her to join the team part time. She is currently a senior at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus, majoring in Public Relations and Advertising. In her free time, Lilliana enjoys indulging herself in fantasy novels and woking on a draft of her current novel. She also loves visiting coffee shops around her area to spend time catching up with her friends. She’s a whole hearted Swiftie and is committed to learn every single song by heart.